"Changeling" - Spoiler FREE Zone

[Dan Dassow]

http://www.variety.com/article/VR111...goryid=13&cs=1

Variety
Posted: Sat., Oct. 25, 2008, 10:15am PT
'Saw V' buzzes behind 'HSM 3'
Lionsgate horror film nabs $14 million Friday
By ANTHONY D'ALESSANDRO

Universal's Clint Eastwood 1920s drama "Changeling" starring Angelina Jolie clocked in a strong theater average of $9,736 or $146,000 from 15 sites.

[Jan]

From Nikki Finke's Deadline Hollywood Daily:

Universal platformed Clint Eastwood's Oscar-touted The Changeling starring Angelina Jolie at 15 theaters in 9 markets for $146K Friday and what should be a $500K weekend.

Similar to Dan's post but extrapolating for the weekend.

Jan

Clint Eastwood's "Changeling" found huge numbers amidst an impressive crowd of weekend openers, according to initial estimates from Rentrak early this afternoon. The Universal release grossed $501,615 from just 15 screens, averaging $33,441. That's a little less than double what Eastwood's last film, 2006's "Letters From Iwo Jima," averaged in its first weekend.

http://www.indiewire.com/biz/2008/10...t_weekend.html

[Dan Dassow]

Originally Posted by mandragora

http://www.indiewire.com/biz/2008/10...t_weekend.html

Limited US Opening - 15 screens
• Chicago, IL
• Dallas, TX
• International Falls, MN
• Washington, DC
• New York, NY (4 theaters/screens)
• Boston, MA
• Hollywood, CA
• Sherman Oaks, CA
• Los Angeles, CA
• Santa Monica, CA
• Seattle, WA
• San Francisco, CA

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/...angeling08.htm
Opening Weekend:
(limited, 15 theaters) $502,000 ($33,467 avg) [estimated]
• Fri $146,000 ($9,733 avg)
• Sat $192,000 ($12,800 avg)
• Sun $164,000 ($10,933 avg)

Other Opening Weekends (Fri-Sun) for Comparison:
http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/...darkknight.htm
The Dark Knight - $158,411,483 (4,366 screens, $36,283 avg.)

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/...&id=wanted.htm
Wanted - $50,927,085 (3,175 screens, $16,040 avg.)

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/...ungfupanda.htm
Kung Fu Panda - $60,239,130 (4,114 screens, $14,642 avg.)

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/...ourfathers.htm
Flags of Our Fathers - $10,245,190 (1,876 screens, $5,461 avg.)

Note: Million Dollar Baby and Letters from Iwo Jima both started on a Wednesday, so opening weekend comparison is difficult.

[Jan]

Harlan Ellison likes it. From his Dining Pavillion http://harlanellison.com/heboard/unca.htm:

HARLAN ELLISON
- Tuesday, October 28 2008 0:28:14
Saw Joe Straczynski's CHANGELING tonight.

I cannot recommend it highly enough.

It is a stunner, without flaw or misstep.

Two hours, twenty minutes went in a heartbeart.

Certain Oscar nominations for Joe as scenarist, Angelina Jolie as Actress, Jeffrey Donovan and the kid actor who astonishingly plays "Sanford Northcott" will get the nod, if there is any justicce. This kid is SOME actor!! And Eastwood as director!

Do not deny yourself this artifact. It has been so long since a film treated me as intelligently, as decently, as adultly as this, I'd almost forgotten what it was to come out of a theater enriched.

CHANGELING. See it!

Yr. Pal, Harlan

[Jan]

They finally posted the schedule for next Friday for the theater I'll be seeing "Changeling" at and I bought my ticket online.

Jan

[Jan]

There's a nice interview at the WGA West site where he talks about 'Changeling' and writing.

Jan

[babylonlurker]

Originally Posted by Jan

There's a nice interview at the WGA West site where he talks about 'Changeling' and writing.

Jan

oh, yes , *very* nice interview...

[sftv]

Originally Posted by Jan

There's a nice interview at the WGA West site where he talks about 'Changeling' and writing.

Jan

I did have to groan at "Combine that with another decade of award-winning writing for DC Comics ..." .

Lee

[Jan]

Originally Posted by sftv

I did have to groan at "Combine that with another decade of award-winning writing for DC Comics ..." .

Yeah, that was pretty wince-worthy. I had to laugh over

I have a really good typist.

though.

Jan

[JoeD80]

Question:

(jms says in the interview):

During my first marriage, when we took our first vacation in, like, 10 years (and it’s been 20 years since that vacation), my wife said, “Now, we are just going to go to England and you are not going to write. You are going to leave your stuff behind, and we are going to have a good time.”

first marriage?

[Dan Dassow]

Originally Posted by Jan

There's a nice interview at the WGA West site where he talks about 'Changeling' and writing.

Jan

jms' final line in the article:

Psychotic, some would say. ...

but in a GOOD way.

[Jan]

Originally Posted by Dan Dassow

jms' final line in the article:
but in a GOOD way.

But of course! Hmmm...does psychotic trump insane?

From Nikki Finke's url=http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/]Deadline Hollywood Daily[/url]

After a limited run, Universal's Oscar-touted Changeling directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Angelina Jolie missed opening wider in the top spot and settled for No. 3. After expanding into 1,850 theaters, the adult drama took in $2.3 million Friday and $4.2 million Saturday for a $9.5M weekend, bigger than what the studio expected. Exit polling from the film's limited run a week ago showed that the grim but compelling pic nevetheless has strong commercial potential across a wide breadth of audiences. All ages and demos while both genders gave the film very high marks after its debut.

It looks like 1,850 theaters is still a fairly low number. I wonder if the length is a factor.

Jan

[Dan Dassow]

Variety
'Changling' stays true to life
Straczynski gives glimpse into film's history
By N'NEKA HITE

The Variety screening of "Changeling" packed out the ArcLight Cinema on Wednesday night. Eschewing the traditional Q&A session, scribe J. Michael Straczynski engaged the audience by offering a glimpse into his life and the history behind his first feature film. ...

'Changling' writer J. Michael Stracynski at the Variety Screening Series
Full photo gallery here.

Boxofficemojo now has a production budget figure: Production Budget: $55 million, according to them.

This week the movie opens in France, Belgium and Italy.